Office helps base fill goods, services needs

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE — With approximately 27,000 inhabitants, a grocery store, banks, hospital, police force, restaurants and movie theater and more, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is often compared to a mid-size city.

A key player in the successful operation of the “city” is the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Installation Contracting Division, which works with government organizations on base to get the things they need to execute their mission.

“In order for someone [organization on base] to get a product or service, a contract officer has to issue a contract, or delegate their authority to individuals within units for small dollar requirements,” said Col. Peter Lasch, chief of Installation Contracting Division. “Our primary focus is on things that help the base operate. Not necessarily mission specific stuff, more overall taking care of facilities, taking care of various services that help organizations do their jobs. We also support programs that do not have an assigned program executive office (PEO).”

If the roof of a building on base needs to be repaired, the Installation Contracting Division works with the 88th Civil Engineer Group to identify and issue a contract to a company off base to fix the damage. The same goes for any engineering and repair project that can’t be fixed internally.

Other base support the division has written contracts for include utilities, medical supplies, vehicle operations, furniture, dining services, architect and engineering and environmental services, IT support services, and computer hardware and software.

On the non-PEO program side, the division has written contracts for Air Force simulation modeling, contractor engineering technical services, mechanized material handling systems, RDT&E for existing weapons systems and Air Force subscriptions.

In Fiscal Year 2018 alone, the division awarded more than 3,400 contracts for a total of $593 million for base requirements. Of that, more than $308 million went to small businesses in the area.

Prior to awarding a contract, the division works closely with the 88th Controller Squadron and the 88th ABW Judge Advocates office to ensure organizations have the proper funding, and contracts have the right language from a legal perspective before the contract is issued, said Lasch.

Recently, the division stood up a section to support contract close-out activity for all AFLCMC contracting offices at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

“If organizations can’t acquire the goods and services they need, they won’t be able to do their job,” Lasch said. “Our office works to ensure they have what they need.”